


Winter's Spring

by DC_Ram



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Love/Hate, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-10-29 19:25:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10860495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DC_Ram/pseuds/DC_Ram
Summary: Amora in her innocence thought that her life would be happy always. She had a father who loved her, a wonderful job as Captain of the Guard under Lord Celeborn. However her happy life was turned upside down with the arrival of a certain Prince from Greenwood. Just a little something I wrote in an attempt to predict what Thranduil's wife was like.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: An Irritating Visitor 

            Lord Celebrimbor swung his hammer down on the piece of Mithril bending and shaping it into a pendent that was to be sold at the market in Moria. He looked up when he heard someone clear their throat. Even if he hadn’t looked up he would have known that it was his daughter who was looking at him disapprovingly. She held up a bowl containing his breakfast and sighed. “Ada, how many times are you going to force me to bring your breakfast to you? We have a perfectly good table upstairs. Why did you even insist on building this forge here at the house when you work at a forge all day?”  

            “I’m too old to reform Amora.” Celebrimbor muttered. “Your poor mother tried to mend my bad habits and didn’t succeed.”

            He put down his hammer and brushed back a strand of long blonde hair from Amora’s face. She didn’t resemble him one bit. Instead she had long blonde hair that shone like starlight and green eyes that put emeralds to shame. Celebrimbor gave her a bittersweet smile. “You look so much like her.”

            “Da, it’s too early in the morning to be so melancholy.” Amora gave him a small sad smile. “Nana wouldn’t want it now.”

            He looked at her and nodded. “Go on you have work to attend to. I know for a fact that Lord Celeborn won’t like it if you’re late today. Everyone is talking of the envoys from Greenwood that are coming today right. Speaking of, the gift for Prince Thranduil is there on the stool. Will you take it in for me?”  

            “Don’t remind me.” She groaned. Amora looked around and opened the box whistling in amazement as she took out two twin daggers. The handles were made of white oak a rare material to find these days. The gold accents along the blades were carefully arranged. “These are beautiful and completely wasted on that pompous arrogant prick.”

            Celebrimbor looked up from his work to glare at his daughter. “Where did you learn to speak in such a manner? You only met him once in Lindon. I raised you better than to form opinions based on first impressions.”  

            “He broke my nose! Once was more than enough to form an opinion about Prince Thranduil.” Amora muttered angrily. When her father warned her again she sighed. “I’m surprised you’re defending him. I’m not the only one who says so all the other soldiers say similar things.”

            He put down his tools in order to give his daughter his full attention. “You are a captain of the guard, Amora. With that title means that you are the example, if you behave poorly to the Prince your soldiers will do the same. You don’t know Oropher as well as I do, he’ll raise hell if he believes that his son has been disrespected. That kind of a diplomatic quarrel, no matter how justified, is not what this realm needs right now.”

            “Very well.” Amora sighed. She placed the daggers back into the box and closed the lid with a long sigh. “I will endeavor to be civil, but if he makes another snide comment like he did the last time, then its war.”

            Celebrimbor rolled his eyes and mentally recited a prayer for patience. “You don’t have the authority to start a war. Just tend to your duties. He is here to negotiate trade agreements with Lord Celeborn, not to pick fights with the Captain of the Guard.”   

            “Fine.” Amora sighed. She picked up the box, kissed her father on the cheek and left for the citadel. With a wave she said as an afterthought. “I’ll be late coming home.”

            He watched her go with a small sigh. Celebrimbor hated watching his daughter leave for work. Although she was brilliant captain and proficient with a weapon, he couldn’t help but worry for his daughter. After everything that had happened he couldn’t bare it if something happened to her.  

             When Amora turned back to look at him, he raised a hand giving her a small wave. She nudged her horse to a gallop not giving him another glance. Anxiously he whispered. “Please, be safe.” 

…

            Amora was facing away from the dais as she directed which members of the guard were to be stationed where. Although they were on excellent terms with Greenwood, something put her on edge. It irritated her that she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

            “Are we going into battle?” Lady Celebrían giggled. She wrapped an arm around Amora’s shoulders distracting her from barking out orders. Silently the Captain of the Guard motioned for her second in command to take over. “This seems a bit excessive for a peaceful envoy. Or are the extra guards here to protect you from giving Prince Thranduil another black eye?”

            Amora groaned and covered her eyes when her second in command and the other soldiers within hearing distance began to snicker. It took her a moment to get over her embarrassment. When she did the captain glared at her friend. “Who told you?”  

            “Oh everyone knows about the brawl.” Celebrían said dismissively. “What did he say that made you angry enough to hit him? Everyone was calling you the true heir of Fëanor after that.”   

            When she heard that Amora wished that the ground would open up and swallow her whole. She had been hoping to survive this visit quietly. “I am not having this discussion with you.”

            “Please.” She begged. Celebrían scanned the crowds to make sure that no one was listening before she pulled Amora to a private corner. “I’m trying to get a sense of who he is before he arrives. Although no one has told me anything I overheard Ada and Nana talking, apparently part of Prince Thranduil’s stay here is to see if we get along well enough to wed.”

            Amora looked at the younger elleth completely flabbergasted. “I didn’t think Lord Celeborn had it in him. He’s usually so protective of you.”

            “So will you tell me now?” She asked.

            The captain shook her head and barked an order at one of the guards who was standing idly in a corner. She scanned the clearing for anything amiss before turning back to Celebrían with a weary expression. “No, if that’s the case I don’t want you to meet him with a biased opinion.”

            “You’re no help.” Celebrían sighed. She looked around nervously and squeezed Amora’s arm nearly cutting off the circulation. “I’m so nervous. How will I know if he is the one?”

            Amora scanned the crowds searching for someone else to handle the young lady. However everyone else appeared to be busy. “Shouldn’t this be a question for someone who is already married?”

            “Please Amora.” Celebrían sighed. “I have no one else to ask.”

            She made the mistake of glancing over at the silver haired lady. Amora felt as though she had kicked a puppy from the expression her friend made. With a frustrated sigh the captain relented. “If I tell you, will you let me get back to work?”

            “Yes I promise.” She agreed.

            Amora scratched the back of her neck and thought about what little her father had told her about her mother. She pulled Celebrían towards the dais telling her as they walked. “When you meet their eyes something clicks inside your heart. You feel like…you found something you didn’t even know what was missing. Alright that’s all you get.”

            “It’s a start.” Celebrían muttered. She waved goodbye to Amora who returned to the task at hand.

            The sounds of horns in the distance caused Amora to stiffen and restrain herself from groaning. She yelped in surprise when someone tugged on one of her curls. She glanced over to see her second in command, Haldir, smiling at her. “And so it begins. Remember don’t punch first and aim for the sensitive areas.”

            “Don’t be an ass.” Amora chided. She folded her arms and kept her expression completely neutral. Just over the hill she could barely make out the horses riding for their campsite. From the correspondence between the elvish leavers, King Oropher demanded that as a show of good faith they were to meet the envoys in an open area. Amora didn’t like it, there have been an increasing number of orc attacks in area and they were too exposed here.

            For a moment Amora’s neutral expression morphed into one of astonishment. At the head of the procession was Prince Thranduil. Normally that wouldn’t have given her any cause to be surprised except for this particular instance he was riding a gigantic elk. A creature that she had thought to be extinct in Middle Earth after the defeat of Morgoth.  

            A sharp nudge to her back caused Amora to snap out of her awe. Reluctantly she ripped her eyes away from the majestic creature and began running her eyes over the procession searching for anything amiss.

            From the weary expressions of the guards and the way they palmed their weapons Amora could tell they had seen some combat on their way here. This added to the already tense atmosphere. Amora raised her hand and made a fist two times, a signal for the guards on the outer perimeter to sweep the area again. She wasn’t sure what type of combat they’d seen, but Amora would be damned if she let anything get close to the family she had sworn to protect.

            Her attention went back to the procession and for a brief moment her eyes connected with Prince Thranduil. A look of recognition passed between them followed by one of sheer dislike. Amora quickly turned her attention to the trees just behind them. She searched each shadow that flickered afraid that she had missed something.  

            Only when her guards on the outer perimeter signaled back to her that all was clear did Amora allow herself to relax a little. She turned her gaze back to the procession that was dismounting and making its way towards Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel and their daughter.

            “Let us not stand on ceremony. It is our express wish that these trade negotiations be concluded as quickly as possible.” Thranduil announced.

            Amora resisted the urge to draw her dagger on the Prince right then and there. If he didn’t want to stand on ceremony what was the point of all this, she wondered angrily. Had the envoys met Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel at the Citadel like all the envoys did she wouldn’t have lost nights worrying about security. Another sharp nudge to her back caused Amora to take her hand off the hilt of her dagger. She made a mental note later to thank Haldir.

            Lord Celeborn seemed to share her annoyance. “Your father wouldn’t appreciate Eregion not showing his son proper hospitality owed to him. We will begin proceedings once everyone has been formally introduced.”

…

            By the time Amora was back on her horse, and signaling for her soldiers to split into their respective formations, she was exhausted. The introductions were tedious, and it was part of her responsibility to keep track of everyone in case assassins tried to sneak in with the foreign retinue. Which never happened in all her years of being a guard. She slumped in her saddle earning her a pat of reassurance from Celebrían.

            That was another worry on the captain’s plate. Instead of riding with her parents, and the foreign party Lady Celebrían had insisted she be allowed to ride with the guard. At that particular moment Amora was too tired to care. She turned her head to the silver haired elf and raised a curious eyebrow. “So, will I have to endure a wedding as well?”

            “I can say with complete certainty that he is not the one.” Celebrían admitted.

            Amora ignored the fact that she felt oddly relieved at the news. She swept her eyes to the procession just ahead of her and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it too much. You’ll find the one when the time is right.”

            “What about the political alliance that he would have brought?” She prompted.

            It took Amora a second to think of an appropriate response. She scratched the back of her neck, a habit she picked up from her father, and sighed. “While it would have been a convenient alliance. Eregion doesn’t really need to strengthen ties with Greenwood politically. As things stand we get along with King Oropher just fine.”

            “Well except for you.” She giggled.

            Before Celebrían could continue with her teasing the young captain stiffened in alarm. Amora raised her fist motioning for everyone to stop. Suddenly with everyone else so quiet she heard it.

 Nothing.

The forest had gone completely still. She exchanged looks with Haldir silently signaling him on how to proceed as they had done over many years.

            Suddenly chaos broke out in the form of a warg attack. Quickly Haldir and Amora sprang into action. He led everyone away with half the soldiers to protect the retreating procession. The Captain stayed behind with the other half of her warriors to corner the warg and kill it.

            It took six arrows to bring the animal down, but when it finally moved no more they were ambushed by its pack. Seven large orcs lead the attack trying to get the soldiers to scatter so that the orcs could pick them off.   

            Amora managed to bring down two wargs and their riders with her bow and arrows. However when things began to look dangerous she dismounted and let her horse run away from the fray. When she was certain her horse was safe she turned to confront the others. Amora swore loudly when a large elk nearly trampled her. She jumped out of the way in the nick of time. However she hadn’t bothered to think about where she would land. Amora quickly realized her mistake as she straightened. She was directly in the path of one of the orcs. She was completely unprepared to defend herself.

            Whatever you do don’t panic, Amora reminded herself. If she froze she knew that she was as good as dead. The orc had a blade pointed at her throat. Her hand inched towards the daggers she kept strapped to her waist in a telling motion. When the Orc drew back to thrust his blade into her heart that’s when Amora moved.

            It all came down to speed and the young captain was a step faster. She thrust the hilt of her dagger up knocking the blade out of the way. However it wasn’t enough to keep her from injury. She flinched when the path of the blade was diverted from her heart and instead made a cut from her jawline and up her cheek. She tried to ignore the pain as she slammed her other dagger into the orcs heart. Amora didn’t withdraw her blade until she was certain the orc would move no more.  

            She turned to confront the next attacker only to find that the battle was almost finished. Only one fleeing orc remained however it wouldn’t get far. Amora saw two of her soldiers blocking its only path of escape. Already her soldiers were combing the woods searching for others and checking the wargs and orcs to make sure they were actually dead. She slumped her shoulders and mumbled under her breath. “Some show of loyalty. I get no help with anything.”

            “A worthy injury for such a stupid mistake.” Thranduil muttered. “You need to work on paying attention to your surroundings. Being oblivious is a good way to get yourself killed.”

He dismounted his elk and began searching the pockets of the orc who appeared to be the leader not sparing her a second look.  

            Amora looked at him outraged. She threw caution to the wind and put a hand on her dagger. “I wouldn’t have made such a stupid mistake if you hadn’t barreled your way without a care for your allies.”

            “Put it down, _Captain_. You’re not worth my time.” He sneered.  

Thranduil stood up to confront her. In an attempt to intimidate her into submission he closed the distance between them until they were toe to toe.

            Before it could break into a fight Amora heard her name being called. She spun around accidently causing her hair to fly in Thranduil’s face. She saw that two of her soldiers were injured. Reluctantly she forced herself to admit that the inured took precedence over her pissing contest with the elf before her.

            She yelped when Thranduil caught some of her hair. Amora turned her head to snap at him. It was an unspoken rule not to grab the hair of another elf. However as quickly as he grabbed it, he let it go.

            Amora ran forward to the injured soldiers thinking nothing of the incident that just occurred. She knelt down in front of the injured and examined the damage. She turned to the field healer kneeling across from her and ordered. “Get them up onto horses and rush them to the infirmary. Have there been casualties?”

           “No Captain.”

           She nodded and turned back to Thranduil to finish their conversation. However he was already riding away on his elk. Amora crossed her arms and watched him curiously. She reminded herself that she didn’t have time to spare on the Prince. With a dismissive shrug she returned to her other duties ignoring the fact that her cheek was still bleeding.


	2. A Temporary Truce

            “Ow! Ada stop you’re just making it worse.” She whined. Amora tried to turn her head away from the cotton ball full of disinfectant. However her father placed a hand on her chin to force her to keep still.    

            The moment his daughter had come home Celebrimbor’s heart nearly stopped. Her left cheek was sliced open all the way down to her jawline. Although it wasn’t bleeding anymore the edges were swollen and bright red as though the wound was trying to get infected. Dried blood caked the lower part of her face as well as her neck, and part of her shirt. Once he reassured himself that Amora was alright, he immediately demanded that she let him treat the wound. Celebrimbor shook his head and began to chide her. “If you held still it wouldn’t hurt as much.”  

            “This is completely unnecessary.” She muttered.

            He tilted her head back to get better access to the bottom of the wound. Amora kept her gaze fixed on the window trying to mark how much time had passed. Originally she intended only to come home to change. She needed to go straight back to the citadel and tend to her responsibilities as Captain of the Guard. Many elvish warriors trained just after dawn, to take advantage of the peace before their duties needed to be tended to. This was especially true when there were newcomers in the Citadel.

            Before she left Amora instructed Haldir to keep a watchful eye on the training grounds. She worried that there would be trouble in the lists. The blonde glanced over at her father who was giving her injury a quick once over in case he missed something. “Alright I’m finished.”

            “Thanks.” Amora muttered absently. She shot up from his work stool like a bolt of lightning. She was running up the stairs towards her room before her father had the chance to stop her.

            Celebrimbor flinched when he heard several loud thumps and the sound of something large clattering to the floor. From the sound of footsteps on the stairs he could tell she switched her boots out. Her footsteps were heavier which meant she chose the ones she used for long patrols. That fact alone automatically made him suspicious. When she came down the stairs he raised an eyebrow. “Is there a long patrol I forgot about?”

            “No, my other shoes are starting to fall apart. I’m going to have to use these until I can go and get some new ones. Which considering my workload will be never.” She muttered. Amora stopped at the bottom of the stairs and adjusted the ties on her boots. Her father handed her a slice of bread and a piece of cheese to keep her until she could get a proper meal. She grabbed her weapons and began strapping them to her belt. When everything was secure she tied it around her hips. “You’ll have to manage dinner by yourself again. There is a mountain load of paperwork I’ve been neglecting.”

            Celebrimbor sighed and looked over at the chaos that was in the kitchen. He had many skills, cooking has never been one of them. As the door closed behind his daughter Celebrimbor wondered if he was being selfish insisting that his daughter continue to live with him.

The Captain of the Guard was assigned an apartment in the Citadel, but Amora didn’t take it. When asked why, she claimed that on her days off she’d come home to find his corpse. He continued to worry as he turned away from the window to reheat leftovers from yesterday.         

…

            Amora ran onto the training grounds her eyes drawn to the crowd gathered around one of the sparing circles. Normally she wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but it wasn’t just members of the guard surrounding the circle. The soldiers from Greenwood were gathered around too. That tipped her off that something was amiss.

            With a weary sigh she changed directions and marched towards the crowd. She weaved her way through until she spotted Celebrían and Haldir. Ducking her way around some of the guards she went to go stand next to them. She placed a hand on her second’s shoulder drawing his attention to her. “What’s going on?”

            “He’s been at it since the training grounds opened up this morning.” Celebrían said. She flinched when one of the guard was knocked onto his back with a loud thud. “Thranduil has yet to be defeated.”

            Why he was shirtless, Amora couldn’t begin to guess. Exposed flesh and sharp edges didn’t mix. However there wasn’t even a scratch on him. However there were several wicked looking scars along his torso, evidence other than his reputation that he fought in the War of Wrath. 

Thranduil stretched his arm out to help the fallen soldier to his feet. She was surprised he actually extended the traditional courtesies in the sparing ring. Thranduil circled the ring, sword in the air. “Will no one give me any true sport? I’m beginning to get bored.”

            “Ten silver pieces says that he gets first blood on our esteemed Captain of the Guard.”

            Amora turned her head, outraged with her second. She had no intension of taking such a childish challenge. What irritated her more was that her best friend got in on the bet. “I bet twenty silver pieces that Amora gets first blood.”

            “I hate you all. Half of those winnings are mine.” Amora muttered. She unclipped her cloak and tossed it at her second’s face. She undid her belt drawing her sword from its sheath, and placing the leather in Haldir’s outstretched hand. The captain gave Prince Thranduil the traditional salute. “I accept your challenge.”

            Amora braced herself for the snarky retort, mentally promising herself that no matter what he said she would set a good example for her soldiers. He wasn’t going to make it easy for her. Thranduil placed a hand on his hip and smirked at her in that condescending way of his.

“You’re a hundred years too early to face me, Captain.” He sneered.

            It’s not worth slapping him, Amora thought to herself. She took a deep breath and kept her expression completely indifferent. “Petty insults don’t suit you. Either duel or get out of the ring.” 

             He raised an eyebrow at her. However his expression turned into one of complete indifference that Amora wondered if she imagined it. “It’s your loss.”

            “When you are ready, sir.” She said coolly. Amora moved to the inner edge of the circle. Her focus was on her opponent, but vaguely she heard Haldir’s shout for everyone to take several steps back, widening the circle. She shifted into a fighting position and waited for the prince to step into the inner circle.  

            Thranduil stuck one of his blades in the ground on the outer edge of the circle. He rotated his wrists to loosen up his arm. His sword cut through the air with an eerie whistling sound that intimidated many of the onlookers. His attention wasn’t on them, instead Thranduil’s eyes scanned over his opponent, picking out several weaknesses to exploit, as he stepped into the sparing ring.   

            Their blades met in the exact center of the circle, however Amora didn’t dare allow their blades to lock. In the first two seconds she felt him trying to overpower her and force her to kneel. Not falling for the trap she twisted away from the blade causing the Prince to stumble briefly before regaining his footing.

            Amora tried to cut him on the shoulder and claim first blood. Thranduil saw that coming and quickly raised his sword in defense. When he pushed her blade away he used a series of brutal thrusts to throw her off balance he was attempting to force her from the sparing circle. Both of them were aware that if either of them stepped one toe out of the circle their opponent was automatically declared the victor. It was obvious to Amora, he was after total humiliation so that she wouldn’t dare to challenge him again. However she turned the tables on him barely managing to get him to back up a few paces.

            Thranduil shifted his sword to his non-dominate hand and locked blades with the captain once again. He made a fist with his other hand and slammed it into her injured cheek. The howl that came from her caused several onlookers to flinch. However Amora didn’t go reeling back like he expected. Instead, like a good soldier, she swallowed the pain and continued. If he didn’t dislike her so much Thranduil would have been impressed.

            “You can do it Amora!” Celebrían shouted.

            Amora glanced over at her briefly. It was enough of a distraction that Thranduil managed to trip her. The silver haired lady winced and looked at Haldir who was shaking his head. Celebrían pointed and asked. “Was that my fault?”

            “Its bad etiquette to call out to someone in the sparing circle, but not it’s not your fault.” Haldir muttered. He cheered when Amora used her foot to knock Thranduil’s blade away from her, giving her a chance to grab her sword. She got back up on her feet and took the offensive. He turned back to Celebrían and explained. “It’s her fault. Amora knows better than to let anyone or anything distract her in the middle of a fight.”

            Celebrían frowned and watched the spectacle carefully. So far neither had drawn first blood but she could see it in both their eyes, pure rage. “Does she have a chance at winning?”

            “I don’t know.” Haldir muttered. He furrowed his eyebrows and kept his attention on the match. “Our Amora is a decent fighter, but she’s not the best with the sword like Prince Thranduil is. If this was an archery contest she’d kick his ass.”

            Celebrían and Haldir flinched when Thranduil managed disarm Amora with a hard sweep of his sword. The young Captain searched for something to keep her opponent at bay. Her sword clattered to the ground behind Thranduil. Amora reached for a rock to throw at him, but froze when she felt the cool tip of a blade on her neck. Reluctantly she straightened and held her palms out to him. “I concede.”

            “Of course you do.” He taunted. Thranduil withdrew his blade and let her turn towards her friends. Amora was prepared to admit defeat and walk away until he said. “You’re too green for this job. Must be the result of your father getting down on his knees like a dog and begging Lord Celeborn to give you that position.”

            Something inside her snapped.

            Before she could hit him, Haldir got in front of her effectively blocking her path. Amora glared at him and tried to step around him, but he took ahold of her shoulders forcing her in place. “You promised Lord Celeborn that you could handle this.”

            “You heard what he said…”

She was cut off by the sound of her name being called. Amora turned her head towards the sound. It took her a second to spot the person calling her name. She recognized the dark haired elvish maiden as one of her father’s workers, Ayla was her name. The captain vaguely remembered having dinner with her and her two boys, Rem and Gilion. Immediately concerned that something terrible had happened Amora barked to the onlookers. “Clear the way! Let her pass!”

“Please Captain you have to help me!” She said.

Suddenly everyone went quiet. Amora grasped the elf’s shoulders to steady her. “Take a deep breath, Ayla. Tell me what happened.”

“It’s my boys.” She said. Tears were falling down her face and she shook violently. “I had to work late last night so I left them with my mother. She woke up this morning to find that their beds hadn’t even been slept in. I’ve searched in all the usual places, but they’re gone. I believe that they went outside the city gates.”

Amora kept her expression completely calm. “Ayla, just calm down, we’ll find them. I swear to you that we’ll bring your boys home safely.” She turned to her second, who was waiting for her orders. “Haldir, round up as many bodies as you can find. While you’re doing that I’ll go interrogate the night watch. Somebody had to have seen something. When you’ve found all the warm bodies you can find round them up in the square. Don’t just stand there quickly!”

“Yes Captain.” Haldir muttered. Before Amora had the chance to chide him again he sprang into action yelling out orders to their soldiers scattered around. Amora began walking towards the guards barracks when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She turned her head up to see Thranduil looking at her solemnly. “I’ll go with you. My guards are yours. Whatever you need.”

“Are you calling a truce?” Amora asked incredulously.

Thranduil snorted and walked ahead of her so that she wouldn’t see his facial expression. He placed his swords back in their sheaths and sighed. “Temporarily, there are children involved.”

Amora watched his back completely stunned into silence.             

…

            It was an hour before Amora’s worst suspicions were confirmed. The boys were nowhere within the city. Ayla was panicking so Amora sent her back to her house under the guise that it would be wise for someone to wait in case the boys came back of their own accord.

            She had split all the soldiers into teams of three. They drew lots to determine which direction they went in. However because Haldir decided to check the city one last time Amora and Thranduil were left alone. They rode south searching for any signs of a trail.

The Prince of Greenwood raised an eyebrow when Amora pulled her horse to a halt and got down on the ground. “What are you doing?”

“Be quiet.” She snapped. Amora tucked her hair behind her ear and pressed it to the dirt. Closing her eyes as she listened. When she opened them again Amora got up, dusted herself off and swung back onto her horse. “I think we should head south west there is nothing in this direction.”

Thranduil furrowed his eyebrows before nudging his elk in the direction she indicated. He restrained himself from staying something snarky and instead focused on the answers that he wanted from her. “Why did you do that?”

“If you know how to listen the earth tells you what you want to know.” Amora sighed. She pulled a dead leaf from her hair before turning to Thranduil. “My Father taught me how.”   

That was all she said on the matter. They kept riding until they spotted a small set of tracks near the spring that ran off away from the city. Thranduil groaned when Amora dismounted to inspect the tracks. He was tired of her constantly stopping, Thranduil thought that she was wasting their time. “They’re animal tracks, not big enough for two boys traveling together.”

“You’re not looking hard enough.” She chided. Amora pressed her hand onto the tracks and nodded to herself. “These were made by no animal, but from a young elf standing on his tiptoes. Look over there they were trying to cover their trail.”

Thranduil sighed and turned his head to where she was pointing. Reluctantly he conceded that she was right. “Do you think they could have been trying to run away?”

“I don’t think so.” Amora muttered. She swung back up onto her horse when she saw Thranduil’s skeptical look she clarified. “To make assumptions without first talking to the boys would be irresponsible.”

He reluctantly the prince nodded in understanding. Neither of them said a word as they followed the trail down the stream. Discretely he turned his attention to Amora. Thranduil was slightly impressed with her tracking skills. Even now she was scanning every single detail of the forest for any sign of the boys. Thranduil turned his attention back to the forest and placed a hand on her shoulder with one hand and pointing up at the trees with the other. “Look.”

“Good catch.” Amora muttered. She glanced over when the Prince jerked his hand away from her shoulder as though she had burned him. However his face was indifferent as he looked up at the scrap of cloth that was caught in the branches. Amora reached up to pluck it from the tree however she was still too short even on her horse.

Thranduil sighed and reached over to take it from the tree. “If you were of average height you’d be able to reach it by yourself.”

“We called a temporary truce remember?” She snapped. Wordlessly Thranduil handed her the scrap of cloth for her to examine. She took it from him with a long sigh. “It’s definitely from one of the boys. It matches the description that Ayla gave us.” 

Amora dismounted and began searching for another set of tracks. When she found them the blonde looked over her shoulder at her companion. “We need to hurry.”

“Why?” Thranduil asked. When Amora didn’t answer him he grew concerned. He reached over and gripped her arm. “What do you know?”

She nudged her horse to a gallop and motioned for him to follow. “They’re heading into orc territory!”

Amora might as well have shouted fire because it had the same effect. They nudged their horses to a gallop and began searching frantically. When the trail went cold Amora dismounted and got down on the ground again. The longer she took the more impatient Thranduil became. After five minutes went by he snapped. “What are you waiting for? Hurry up!”

“I told you I need quiet!” She snapped. Amora turned her head up to glare at him. She stood up and mounted her horse. “Look why don’t we split up. We’re clearly getting on each other’s nerves.”

Thranduil frowned at her. “That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said all day. I’ll take this direction.”

Amora grabbed the reins of her horse and stomped off in the opposite direction. She muttered several curses under her breath as she searched for tracks. Their temporary truce was beginning to get on her nerves.

She walked into a clearing and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Rem and Gilion sitting beside a wild strawberry bush. Amora let her horse graze on a patch of soft grass while she went to talk to the boys. Rem saw her first and pushed his little brother behind him. Amora raised her hands in nonaggressive manner. “I’m not going to hurt you. Your mother sent me to come and find you.”

“Are we in trouble?” Gilion asked her. He looked at the captain from under his brother’s arm with wide eyes. Amora scanned them over searching for injuries. While both fair skinned boys were covered from head to toe in dirt there were no visible signs of injury.

She raised an eyebrow. “Why are you two out here in the first place? You both know that it’s dangerous.”

“We wanted to take a flower petal from the cemetery beyond the city walls.” Rem explained. She bit down on her lip to remind herself to have patience. Apparently her confusion was written all over her face because the older of the two dark haired boys sighed in exasperation. “Stupid Tuiwion kept bragging about how he’s been outside the city walls. We both figured that he’d stop if we went out further.”

So it was a pissing contest, Amora thought to herself. She was relieved that it wasn’t something too serious. In the back of her mind the captain made a note to take measures to keep the other children from sneaking out of the city gates like this. Right now her first priority was getting both boys back to their mother. “Bring back some of those berries, and you both can tell your friends that you went all the way to orc territory and back.”

By the time she got both boys on her horse Amora realized she hadn’t heard anything from her partner. With a groan she swung up behind her charges and looked down at them. “I need to find my partner which means going further into orc territory. I need both of you to get down low and do exactly as I say.”

She nudged her horse to a trot and began tracing her steps back to where she saw Thranduil last. Tracks made by an elk were much easier to follow than the tracks of two small children. She came upon Thranduil fighting off a group of orcs. Amora pulled out her bow and arrows. She began shooting down her opponent one by one. When she had created an open path for Thranduil to ride threw he took it. Amora kicked her horse into a gallop making sure he was clear first before following him. “Who are your friends?”

“They aren’t in the habit of introducing themselves.” Thranduil answered. The prince cut down an orc that was trying to block their path. He glanced over at the two boys huddled together on her horse before looking at the road. “Let’s not stay and exchange pleasantries.”

“Agreed.” Amora turned to shoot down the ones that were attempting to pursue them. She hoped to get clear before any wargs got in the way.

They rode hard not stopping until they were within sight of the city. The captain glanced back at the trees to make sure they weren’t followed before letting out a sigh of relief. She took her horn from her saddle bag and blew on it three times. A signal that they found the boys.                

…

Thranduil watched the captain dismount to help Rem and Gilion down from her horse. He watched the boys run into their mother’s open arms and started apologizing for worrying her. On the way back into the city he began to see what kind of a person she truly was.

The Prince prided himself on being a good judge of character. When he met Amora in Lindon he judged her to be an airheaded, naïve, temperamental elf. When he met her again he assumed nothing had changed.

            This was probably the first time in centuries that he had been wrong.

            The Prince stiffened when Amora turned towards him. She looked reluctant, but none the less said. “Thank you, the extra soldiers were a big help.”

            “It killed you to say that didn’t it?” He deadpanned. Thranduil bit down on his lip to keep himself from laughing at her expression. It amused him to watch her get so flustered.

            The captain glanced around to make sure that no one was watching the exchange. “Yes, so please don’t make me say it again.”

            “I won’t. Just don’t try and thank me again. It’s weird.” He said frankly.

            Amora nodded her agreement. “So it’s back to hating each other again?”

“Please, you aren’t worth the energy it takes to hate you.” Thranduil muttered arrogantly. He nudged his elk away from her and went back to the citadel.

Amora rolled her eyes and turned back to her horse. She grinned when she noticed Haldir standing there with a small smile holding out the reins to her. “So does this mean that the feud is over?”

            Amora snorted and took the reins from her second. She swung up onto her horse. “Nope, we’ve just agreed to hate each other…just not so openly.”      


	3. Chapter Three: An Unexpected Partnership

            Amora yawned as she absorbed the sunlight from the roof of the guard’s barracks. Often times if she had a free moment the captain would sneak up here for a few moments to catch her breath from the stress of the day.

            Lord Celeborn had called her into his office earlier that day to talk to her about the orc problem. It distressed Amora to know that he would give her one month to fix said problem or he would replace her as Captain of the Guard. Her nerves were shot and she had a massive migraine from lack of sleep. Haldir had seen all of this on her face and offered to take charge of debriefing the new recruits on their first assignments so that she could take a bit of a break.

            “I thought I might find you up here.”

            Amora turned her head to see Haldir struggling to climb up to the roof. She sat up and reached over to give him a hand, but he waved her off. With a loud thump her second managed to settle himself on the roof. When she was certain he wouldn’t fall and break his neck Amora turned her attention back to the sky. “Is the Citadel burning?”

            “No.”

            “Then let me sulk for a few more minutes.” Amora ordered.

            She wasn’t surprised when Haldir ignored that petty command and sat down next to her. Out of all her soldiers he knew her the best. Maybe it was because they had undergone military training at the same time. Or that they had served in the same guard unit for many years. Whatever it was Amora had come to rely on their bond from time to time. She turned her head to look at him and asked. “Do you think we can do it under such a small window of time?”

            “We’ve been through worse, Captain. Let’s just go over the maps again maybe there is a place we haven’t checked yet.” Haldir suggested.

            Amora sighed. “Can you cover for me today? I’m gonna go ride out and see if I can’t find something on my own.”

            “That’s way too dangerous. What if something happens to you?” Haldir reasoned.

            She turned to look at him with a skeptical look. She placed a hand on the hilt of her sword and grinned mischievously. “I can handle myself.” When her second didn’t look impressed she sighed. “Alright look, if I’m not back by tomorrow morning then you can rally the troops and tell me I told you so.”

            “That doesn’t make me feel better.” Haldir said frankly. They stared each other down for a moment before he made a face. “Fine, I hate it when you do that thing with your eyes. It makes me cave every time.”

            Amora ginned. “I know it’s why I do it.”

            She stood up to go to climb off the roof however Haldir’s hand shot out and gripped her by the wrist. Amora turned with a raised eyebrow and waited for him to say his piece. He let go of her hand and said. “You’d better not make me organize a search party to come and find you.”  

            “I’ll try not to.” Amora promised. With that she began to climb down from the roof.     

…

             The depth of the tracks that she found weren’t deep enough to signify that it was the whole pack. Amora assumed that it was only ten or fifteen based on the number of tracks. She swung back up onto her horse and continued heading south east. She pulled out the map that she and Haldir had marked all over and began steering her horse with her knees as she navigated.

            “What the hell? I can’t read my own handwriting.” She muttered under her breath. Amora looked up from her map when she realized the forest had gone quiet once again. Pulling out her bow and arrows she scanned the woods searching for any signs of the threat. Her palms were sweating causing her to have to readjust her grip a few times.

            She didn’t know whether or not to be relieved or irritated when the sounds of combat reached her ears. Assuming that someone, probably Haldir, had followed her against her express wishes Amora muttered a string of curses under her breath as she nudged her horse forward to save the poor soul.

            When Amora reached the fray she was surprised to see Thranduil on foot fighting off the team of orcs she had been tracking. He was holding his own even though he was so outnumbered and on foot. Still the captain intervened by shooting off two arrows one after the other. They hit their targets taking out two orcs who were trying to take advantage of his unguarded back. However that drew their attention to her. One of the orcs threw an ax at her causing her to fall off her horse.

             The black stallion bolted heading back towards the city and leaving the captain vulnerable. Amora sighed in irritation before she began firing off several arrows to keep the orcs coming towards her at bay. She managed to bring down three more before she had to take out her sword and fight them one on one. Mentally Amora promised herself that she wouldn’t get injured this time. Being extra careful to take in all her surroundings. The outcome was that she managed to fend off two attempts at a sneak attack.            

            Thranduil turned to confront his savior when he was certain that there were no more orcs to fight. He raised a surprised eyebrow when he saw Amora scanning the woods for any signs of another threat. He took a second to really appreciate her before smirking. “Are you following me now?”

            “If your arrogant royal ass gets wounded on my watch it’s my hide Lord Celeborn will be coming after.” She muttered absently. When Amora deemed it safe she turned her attention back to the prince. She put a hand on her hip and looked at him incredulously. “What are you doing out here anyway?”

            “Celebrían asked me to bring you back to the Citadel. Something about sensing something dangerous in your future.” Thranduil said with a shrug. He turned away from her and whistled for Megalor to come back from his hiding spot. Silently Amora wondered how a creature with such large antlers was capable of hiding. However she dismissed the question when Megalor came towards her curiously. Not wanting to frighten him she carefully stretched out her hand for him to sniff. Amora smiled when he turned his face into her palm allowing her to stroke him. She stepped closer to the elk completely enchanted by his beauty.

            The spell was broken when a pale slender hand reached over and began petting Megalor just centimeters above where her hand rested. “I’m impressed, he doesn’t let just anyone touch him.”

            “My father told me that all his kind were destroyed when Morgoth came to Middle Earth.” Amora muttered.

             She stiffened when Thranduil absently put a hand on her shoulder. Dismissing it as a way to step closer to his elk Amora turned her attention back to Megalor figuring this chance probably wouldn’t present itself again. She was surprised when he answered her seriously. “I managed to rescue his parents from a pack of orcs. With a little bit of help their population is slowly coming back to life in the forests of Greenwood.” 

            “How long have you and Megalor been riding together?” Amora asked.

            Thranduil chuckled and took his hand away. “A long time. So are you up for a bit of a challenge or are you going to force me to drag you back to the Citadel?”

            “What did you have in mind?” Amora asked curiously.

            He swung up onto Megalor and stretched his hand out to her knowing that her horse was probably halfway back to the city by now. When she crossed her arms and stubbornly waited for him to clarify. Thranduil rolled his eyes and dropped his hand with an irritated huff. “The Orc trail is still fresh, between the two of us I think we can track down where those packs are squatting.”

            “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?” Amora said. She extended her hand to him before glancing at the trail the pack left. The trail was different than the ones her patrols usually found. The tracks appeared to be sloppier, less calculated, and more orc like. It made her hopeful that she could finally rid herself of the filth that plagued her homeland.  

             Thranduil took her hand and helped her swing up in front of him. When she was settled he nudged Megalor forward. “Has anyone ever mentioned to you that you look like your mother?”

             “Only my father.” Amora muttered. She tried to turn her head to look at him, but Thranduil forced her to look straight ahead. Quietly she mumbled several curses under her breath before asking. “You knew her?”

             Thranduil veered Megalor to the left before he answered her. “She tended to several injuries of mine during the War of Wrath. Lady Eruraina was a gifted healer, she saved my neck more times than I would like to remember.”

             “I wish that I could remember more of her.” Amora sighed.

            Before Thranduil could comment she motioned for him to stop. She slid off of Megalor and knelt down to inspect the tracks. They veered off in two directions, Amora suspected that one was a false trail and the other would lead them to the orc hideout. She pressed her hand lightly on one track and then another to measure the depth.

             She sighed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before she looked up at Thranduil. “Left.”

             “Agreed.” He muttered.

             Thranduil extended his hand to her once again. This time she took it without a second thought. He swung her up in front of him and took the trail to the left. They traveled together silently and Thranduil began to wonder if he had ruined the truce between them by bringing up her mother. He scratched his head before decided to offer her the only consolation he could think of. “My mother was also lost to me when I was very young. What memories I do have are so scarce that I think them dreams.”

               “I’m sorry.” Amora muttered.

              She placed a hand over his causing Thranduil to stiffen slightly. Suddenly he felt as though the very air around them was thinning. As though the young elvish maiden before him was too close. It made him shift uncertainly in the saddle.

              The young captain felt his discomfort and took her hand away. She looked around for something to distract them both. Amora furrowed her eyebrows in concern. “Night will soon be upon us.”

              “You have the night off and I have no duties to attend to until tomorrow. I doubt they’ll miss us until tomorrow morning.” Thranduil reassured her.

              Amora turned her eyes back to her surroundings when she saw it. A string of caves that Lord Celeborn ordered no one enter because they were so unstable. It was the perfect place to hide because no one would search there for fear of triggering a cave in. It was perfect for a band of orcs. She straightened nearly hitting Thranduil in the chin. She frantically motioned for them to stop. “Confronting them with just the two of us is suicide. There is a reason those orcs chose those particular caves, they’re unstable and a death trap to anyone who doesn’t know a way through them. We need to be smarter about this if we’re to make it back alive.”

              “I’m all for not dying.” Thranduil deadpanned.

              She dismounted and motioned for him to do the same. Amora turned to the elk and ran a hand over his head. “Thank you for bringing us this far, Megalor. However I think it’s time you find a safe place to hide.”

              “What exactly are you planning?” Thranduil asked. He was suspicious of the look in her eyes.  

               She turned back to him with a mischievous smile. “There’s another entrance that’s more unstable than the one before us. One wrong move and the entire structure will collapse on top of them. Since I know my way around these caves I’ll be the one to trigger the cave in. When the orcs come running out to save their hides you’ll be lying in wait to pick them off.”

               “That plan is too risky. What do you expect me to tell your father when you get crushed to death?” Thranduil retorted.

                Amora sighed and brushed her hair out her face. Had she been with one of her soldiers they would have followed her plan without question. She turned her face up to look him in the eyes.

               “Look I know that things are weird between us. This morning I couldn’t stand to be near you, and now you get on my nerves a little less.” She grinned at him when Thranduil snorted and shook his head. “I trust that you can take down the orcs that manage to get out of the caves. Trust that I can get myself out.”

               He looked at her searching for any signs that this was only talk. The Prince saw nothing but determination in her eyes and that convinced him. “Alright give me your bow and arrows. If I’m taking out orcs I’ll need a weapon that can work long range.”

               “Alright deal.” Amora said. Her plan would involve her sword not her bow or arrows. Unclipping her tool belt she slid the quiver of arrows off the belt and handed it to him along with her bow.    

…

            Thranduil hid behind a tree watching the entrance of the cave carefully. So far nothing was happening and he was beginning to worry. When he made up his mind to leave his post behind and go find Amora a rumble alerted him to her success. He grinned and drew the bow waiting for the orcs to come out.

            He had to hand it to her. Only three orcs managed to escape before the entrance collapsed on itself. While Thranduil didn’t have the aim Amora did he managed to get the first two. He had to cut down the last one with his swords.

            He waited to see if any more orcs would confront him. Thranduil tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the captain to return hopefully unscathed. When twenty minutes passed with no sign of the Captain he began to envision the worst. Whistling for Megalor Thranduil began to run forward. He swung up onto his elk and nudged him forward. “Come on Captain, if you’re dead I swear I’ll kill you myself.”

            He scanned the rubble looking for any indications of the captain. The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on edge as the trail began to run out. He spotted a head of blonde hair and slip off his elk to run towards Amora. 

            “Hey are you ok!” He shouted.

            Amora turned her head and raised her hand in a small wave. “I dislocated my shoulder on the way out.”

            He knelt beside her and began to check her over for other injuries particularly her head. When Thranduil found none except her dislocated shoulder he sighed in relief. Then he turned livid. “I told you that this would happen. Now hold still this is gonna hurt.”

            The string of curses that the Captain let out caused Thranduil to raise an eyebrow. He had heard some rather crude words during the war but she took swearing to a whole new level. Unclipping his cloak Thranduil tore off a long strip to make a sling. “I expected tears not profanity.”

            “Did I cry when you broke my nose?” She fired back.

            Thranduil rolled his eyes and lifted her so that she was laying against him while he tied the makeshift sling. “Fair enough. Amora, for pity’s sake Stop fidgeting or I’ll never get this tied.”

            “That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name.” She said.

            He realized that she was right. Thranduil made it a point to call her Captain whenever he needed to address her. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

            “Please, when I tell the story I’m going to tell everyone how you ran towards me with tears in your eyes to make sure I was ok.” She said with a fake melodramatic voice.  Thranduil rolled his eyes as he pulled away from her. He didn’t bother to dignify her teasing with a response and instead stretched out his hand to help her stand up.

            Together they rode back to the city in silence.   


	4. Chapter Four: The Turning of the Tides

            Amora jumped when she felt Thranduil’s back against hers. With an irritated snarl he forcefully nudged her away from him. With a fluid sweep of his sword the Prince cut open the chest of an Orc, before spinning around to address her. “How many times will I have to remind you to pay more attention to your surroundings? At this rate you are likely to get someone killed.”

            “Just focus on your half.” She snapped. Amora used her hunting dagger to bring down an orc that tried to attack while she was distracted. Angrily, she mumbled a nasty curse as she kicked its legs out from under it. Having it at her mercy she shoved her dagger into his chest. Using the momentum from her attack Amora pulled her dagger out of the body. Retreating behind her companion Amora sheathed the dagger. Her hand instinctively reached for her sword to kill the rest of her opponents until she remembered that she had broken it in the caves.  

            Amora guessed that she had another three seconds before she’d be attacked again. Quickly weighing the pros and cons of her decision Amora wriggled her arm out of the sling. The muscles in her shoulder screamed in protest as she reached back to pull her bow from its resting place. Nocking the arrow she bit down on her lip as she lifted her weapon and took aim.  

            Quickly and with very little grace the Captain managed to clear off her half of orcs. Amora turned to help Thranduil however she was surprised to see him holding his own, despite the fact that the brunt of the Orcs were attacking him. She began firing the last of her arrows at the orcs trying to take off some of the pressure from him.  

            By the time she fired off her last arrow Thranduil was no long fighting. Instead he leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree a look of disapproval etched into the contours of his face. Arms folded he waited patiently for her to stop.  

The threat gone Amora released her weapon with a small cry of agony. Angrily muttering a string of curses under her breath the Captain attempted to roll her shoulders to work out the pain.

            Thranduil rolled his eyes at her melodramatic response and walked over to tend to her injury. He saw two small tears trail down her cheeks that caused him to frown. Brushing them away with the amount of affection he would show a speck of dirt, he snapped. “Don’t cry.”

            “If I could I would.” Amora muttered. She slapped his hand away when he put it on her bad shoulder.

            Thranduil mentally counted back from ten in an attempt to force himself to be more patient with the younger elf. In truth he was unused to handling elves around her age, by the time soldiers came to him they had centuries of battles under their belts. Wrapping a hand around her waist he pulled her towards him. When she tried to fend him off again he smacked her hand away. Uncaringly, he peeled her shirt back to examine the injury while he did Thranduil muttered. “It’ll hurt more if you try to fight me.”

            “You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” Amora accused.

            Thranduil repositioned her so that he could examine the bruising. He wanted to determine if he had to move the joint back into its proper position again or if she just abused the born muscles that were trying to heal.

Certain that it was the second he glanced at her again. “You need to listen when others correct you, not barrel through blindly. I’m tired of cleaning up after your stupid mistakes.”

            “If it wasn’t for me those orcs would be mounting our heads on pikes.” She grunted.

It took every ounce of will power she had not to scream in agony as Thranduil began to guide her arm back into the sling. The Captain shut her eyes and the color began to drain from her face as the prince moved her arm back into the sling. “You overestimate yourself. Open your eyes I’m finished.”    

            Reluctantly she complied with his request. At first her vision was blurred and spotty however after a few moments passed she could see clearly again. Amora looked down searching for her bow. Finding that it lay just behind her she knelt down to retrieve it with her good arm. However Thranduil beat her to it.

Handing her the weapon with a glare, Thranduil began to wonder what possessed Lord Celeborn to name this youngling as Captain. There were soldiers with far more experience at the Citadel’s disposal. Soldiers who probably already knew how to lead. “Learn from those who already lead and maybe I won’t scold you so much.”  

            “Luckily for me you’re leaving in a few more weeks.” Amora snapped. She knelt down to inspect the bodies for anything useful to report back to Lord Celeborn. Turning her head away from the stench she managed to yank out a map that was tucked away in the orc’s armor. With a small grumble she said. “I’ll learn from my mistakes I don’t need you lecturing me over something so simple.”

            “It’s better to learn from someone else’s mistakes than suffer the casualties of learning from your own.” He muttered ominously. For a moment a memory overtook the Prince’s attention. Thranduil frowned and turned away from the Captain so that she wouldn’t see the look on his face. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge he reached behind him to rub away the sensation.

            Preoccupied with unfolding the map with one hand Amora wasn’t paying him any mind. She took a deep breath and held it as the stench coming from the map became more unbearable. Using her foot to hold down one side the Captain managed to awkwardly find some stones to hold down each corner of the paper. Settling her feet in a more comfortable position she began to study the map. Wanting a fresh set of eyes to look at the map she let go of the breath that she was holding and turned her head towards Thranduil. “Hey, take a look at this and tell me what you think?”

            Glad of the temporary distraction Thranduil didn’t protest. Instead he knelt down beside her and began to study the large piece of parchment in front of them. The map was of Middle Earth however there were no visible places marked. Figuring that she was being paranoid the Prince shrugged. “It’s a map, so what? Even orcs have to find their way around.”  

            “For someone who continuously lectures me on paying attention to my surroundings you don’t observe much. Look again, but this time pay attention to what’s on the map.” Amora advised.

            Thranduil sighed and turned his attention back to the map. “I don’t see anything but blood, mud, and…geez I don’t even want to know what that is. Burn it and let’s go.”   

            “Don’t be such a child.” She mocked. Turning back to the map Amora vaguely gestured at it. “Look at the blood patterns and tell me what’s different?”

Displaying his protest Thranduil made an overly dramatic showing of scooting away from the map. “Just tell me. I’m not in the mood for games.”

            “There are several different types of blood that aren’t haphazardly splattered about the page. Instead there are blots over several different areas. See look, human blood over the human cities, and elvish blood over specific territories.” Amora pointed to the different cities so that he could clearly see what she saw. Turning towards him she began to explain. “We’ve found maps like this on patrols before. At first I was just like you and thought nothing of them, the former Captain was the same. He just threw them out without even glancing at them. When we lost part of our territory to the orcs and a few of our patrols, Haldir and I started saving the maps to search for answers. The blood stains are the areas that are being watched or targeted for some reason. However it’s these spots.” She pointed to the two near their boarders and the other one in Lindon. “I’ve never seen these before. I don’t have any idea what they mean.”

            “Orc’s aren’t smart enough to cover their tracks like that.” Thranduil sighed.  

            She nodded. “I’ve fought enough of them to know that. However it means whoever is giving the commands is smart enough to cover the tracks of his scouts.”  

            “Don’t borrow trouble, there could be a hundred other explanations for this.” He chided. 

            Amora frowned at the two black spots near their boarders the first was the caves that she destroyed the second was one she never would have thought to look at. There was no Orc activity in that area.  

            “I need to go scout out that spot.” Pushing herself up onto her feet Amora sighed. “If we leave now we can go check out what they’re doing over there.”

            “Amora, no. We aren’t properly equipped and you’re injured for pity’s sake.” Thranduil sighed. When he saw that determined look in her eyes the Prince figured he had two options at this point, reason or force.

            Not wanting to injure her further, the Prince chose reason. Pushing back his hair to give him a moment to come up with a logical alternative Thranduil frowned. “If we go back to the Citadel you’ll be able to put together a scouting team that is more likely to survive. Face the facts if we get attacked now one of us isn’t coming out of this alive.”

            “If you’re scared you don’t have to come. I’ll run.” Amora snapped.

            Force it is, Thranduil thought wearily. As she nudged her way past him he made his move. Grabbing the shoulder that was dislocated he squeezed causing her to drop to her knees. When he had a clear shot Thranduil lifted his sword to knock her unconscious.

            However the sound of horse hooves stopped him mid-swing. Turning towards the direction of the sound Thranduil sighed in relief when he noticed it was members of his personal guard. When he saw the sour expressions on their faces the Prince figured they had been sent to search for him after a through scolding by the Chancellor.  

            They pulled to a halt and dismounted in front of them. An action that Thranduil thought was odd. If they were here for him normally they split into groups. Several checked the perimeter while the others guarded his person.

            The captain of Thranduil’s personal guard snarled. “Captain Amora, you are under arrest.”

            Completely bewildered Thranduil turned towards Amora to ask what she did. However she wasn’t looking at him. Instead she had her free hand placed on her hip and was smirking at the elf on horseback. When his guards stepped toward her she didn’t fight instead she wriggled her arm out of the sling he had made for her and placed both of her wrists out in front of her.

            His guards were not gentle with her. They forced her to her knees taking no care to mind the fact that she was injured. Thranduil stood there completely stunned as his guard’s gagged her and placed iron chains on her wrists. Amora grunted in pain when they dragged her forward placing a terrible strain on her shoulder and forcing her to walk.

            When they were out of sight the Prince came out of his initial shock. Turning to his guard Thranduil demanded answers. “What in the world did she do? Order your soldiers to release her before this becomes a diplomatic incident.”

            “Forgive me highness but I am not at liberty to do that.” His guard muttered. The dark haired elf bowed from his saddle in a form of apology. Thranduil thought he looked ridiculous, but didn’t bother to comment. Instead the Prince crossed his arms and waited for answers. The elf didn’t disappoint as though it was an inconvenience he said. “My orders come from Chancellor Handor, you’ll have to take the matter up with him.”

…

            After stabling his elk Thranduil turned towards the Citadel. To his left he could hear a rather heated argument between Amora’s second in command and his guards who were apparently blocking the entrance to the dungeons. Irritated he sighed. “Geez are we overtaking the damn place or something?”

            He was about to step in to prevent more tension between the already tense territories. However when Lady Galadriel brushed past him barely giving him a nod of acknowledgement Thranduil backed off. He figured that the famous Lady of Light would be able to diffuse the situation much more peacefully than he could.

            The wing that housed him and the other ambassadors shared was quite a hike. Thranduil could have been faster in leaving, but the way the Captain reacted to his guards arresting her made him pause. Whatever it was that she did it was obvious that she wasn’t ashamed of it and it was definitely against his territory. Depending on what it was he wasn’t entirely certain that he’d be able to order her freedom. There were somethings only a king could do.

            Walking down the left side of the hall towards the Chancellor’s rooms he didn’t bother to knock. The wooden doors hit the walls with a thump announcing his entrance.

 Accustomed to this type of behavior from the King of Greenwood the elf didn’t look startled by the Prince’s sudden appearance. Handor put down his book and bowed respectfully. “I’m glad to see you returned safely to the Citadel, my Prince.”

            “Cut the pleasantries.” He snapped. Thranduil remained standing despite Handor’s indication that he wanted to sit back down. The Prince waited a moment for Handor to fully grasp the deliberate awkwardness of the situation before speaking. “The guards just took the Captain Amora, on your orders. Tell me that was a mistake so that I can correct the situation.”

            “It was no mistake. I ordered her arrest almost immediately after discovering you had left the Citadel.” He said. The tone the dark haired elf took with Thranduil caused him to glare. He didn’t soften his gaze until the Chancellor was staring at the floor. It took every ounce of energy the Prince had not to roll his eyes when Handor took an innocent tone to finish out his explanation. “The Captain turned out to be no better than her ancestors. She is a traitor and I am awaiting for Lord Celeborn to sign the papers turning her over into our custody to await trial in Greenwood. I am adamant that if these negotiations are to continue this must happen. So will your father when he hears.”

            Rolling his eyes he sat down. “Spare me your plots, you don’t have the authority to order something like this. King Oropher made absolutely sure that only I did after hearing the decedents of Fëanor resided in this territory. Now tell me quickly what is she being accused of.”

            “I am aware highness the paper work is hear all it needs is your signature.” The Chancellor muttered.

Thranduil held out his hand for the papers doing his best to look bored. When the documents were in his hand the Prince began reading them over to make sure there was no funny business. When he came to the part that listed all the things Amora was being charged with the Prince raised an eyebrow. “Conspiracy to assassinate a monarch. I assume your evidence is irrefutable.”

“Right now I only have enough to arrest her under suspicion of treason.” When Thranduil began to stand up signaling that this meeting was over Handor held his hands up palms out towards him motioning for the Prince to stay. “No one can vouch for her whereabouts for a significant gap of time. More than enough to construct a plot to lure you out of the Citadel to kill you.”

Thranduil sighed his hand was on the doorknob and he was fully prepared to leave. However Amora’s face as she was being dragged away from him forced him to pause. The Chancellor pushed that hesitation to his advantage. “If the Captain was truly innocent why did she go with the guards willingly? An innocent person would have forced the issue.”     

“You have five minutes to explain.”


	5. Chapter Five: Accusations

            Absentmindedly twisting a stone in her hand, Amora sighed miserably. She had been left in her cell overnight and most of the morning, if the guard changes were any indication. The dungeons were rarely ever used, so placing her in the furthest underground cell was strictly vindictive.

            Glancing over at the guards she shook her head and muttered to herself. “I don’t blame them though.” 

            Tossing the stone away, Amora pushed her knees up to her chest. With nothing else really to do she rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes thinking back to the events that lead to this moment.   

_Seeing Haldir approach, Amora reached to pull down her hood. She paused as he raised a hand to stop her. The captain tilted her head in confusion. When he was within hearing distance he cautioned her. “Stay in the shadows and keep that hood up lest you spoil the surprise for your prey.”_

_“Do you have what I need?” She whispered._

_From the shadows of a column, both appraised their surroundings. Satisfied that no one was there to pay them any mind, he reached into his satchel and pulled out a small vial of clear liquid. “Two drops is all you’ll need.”_

…

            When the door to her cell opened, the captain was jerked from her memories. A guard from Green Wood, whose name she didn’t remember, held up iron manacles. “They’ve summoned you. I’ve been instructed that you’re not to talk.”

            “Will you be covering my head with a hood as well?” She muttered sarcastically. Turning away from the cell window Amora stood up and looked at the guard. His indifferent expression made her sigh and hold out her wrists. “Never mind let’s get this over with.”

            She was relieved that no one saw her, although half the Citadel would already be aware of her arrest. Slumping her shoulders Amora began to fidget with the manacles on her wrists as Lord Celeborn’s office loomed closer.

            Eventually she had to stop twisting the manacles because they hurt her wrists. Amora paused before the large wooden door, glancing at the guard. He opened it and motioned for her to enter. The Captain bit down on her lip before entering the room.

            She glanced around to search the faces of those who were present. Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel were at the head of the desk looking very confused and disappointed with her. Chancellor Handor wasn’t looking at her, but that didn’t surprise her too much. He never glanced twice at her. The Chancellor leaned over to whisper in the Prince’s ear drawing her attention to him.

             Thranduil replied to him quietly as he looked past Amora as though she wasn’t even standing there. It caused her to look down at her boots with unease. Distracted by the Prince Amora didn’t notice that Haldir was trying to get her attention. She looked up when he suddenly shouted. “Amora, it’s not what you think…”

            “Silence yourself!” Thranduil snapped. “You are strictly here as a witness, not to be heard.”

Amora furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, turning to Haldir to clarify. Before she could even breathe a word her second snarled. “Silence yourself, you malicious liar.”

“Enough!” Lady Galadriel snapped. “If you two are going to argue like children do it out in the hall.”

Both of them tried to protest, but were stopped by a single glare from Lady Galadriel. To keep from upsetting her further, both retreated from the room. Haldir glanced back at Amora and raised his hand, making a sign for death. Confused and a little frightened she asked. “Alright, what is going on?”

“We have gathered here so that you can answer these accusations of treason that Green Wood has levied against you.” Lord Celeborn explained.

Her eyes widened just a fraction before her face scrunched up in confusion. “Are you seriously accusing ME of treason? I've been too busy keeping the Prince of Green Wood safe to plot such things!”

Lady Galadriel raised an eyebrow. “Then why didn’t you resist arrest?”

“Because that would have turned out so well.” Amora muttered sarcastically, “Because I was expecting some form of retaliation from Green Wood,” She revealed.

Lord Celeborn stared her down until she looked away. Emphasizing each word he snarled warningly. “Careful with your tone Captain, but explain yourself.”

Raising her head Amora began to tell her side of the story.

_Amora was looking through a rack of swords in the guard’s armory with a grimace of displeasure. None particularly met her standards.  Glancing out the window she frowned making a mental note that this rack would need to be refurbished. It hadn’t been that long since she spoke with Haldir about the orc situation, but she didn’t want to spend too long in the armory inspecting weapons as she had done so often before._

_Raised voices drew her attention to the hall. At first she wanted to ignore the clamoring and continue on her way. However when she heard a gigantic thud, it made her run out into the hall. She saw a Green Wood guard and Haldir’s youngest brother Rúmil in the midst of a grand scale argument. She glanced around searching for her second to intervene, but he was nowhere to be seen._

_She pulled Rúmil behind her protectively. Trying to hide her reluctance, she said. “I’m sure you have better things to do than to argue with a youngling.”_

_“I…”_

_She cut him off. “I’m not engaging you in conversation soldier, I’m dismissing you.”_

_“How dare you talk to me with such disrespect, don’t you know who I am.” He snapped._

_Amora had been forced to memorize which guards where which. Crossing her arms she sighed in irritation. “Hairondir, son of some noble that isn’t relevant to this situation. Now goodbye soldier.”_

_“This is such a backwards territory.” He snarled._

_She glared at him. “Careful sir, you're currently in negotiations with this **backwards territory**.”_

_“For which my King makes a grave mistake.” He sneered. Noticing that her fists were clenched, Hairondir continued. “He does not realize that your Lord must truly be blind not to see that a poisonous harpy like you and your cursed family isn’t worthy enough to shovel shit.”_

_Outraged she forced herself to pry open her fists as he swaggered away. Something she did to keep herself from committing the horrid acts of violence that flashed through her mind. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rúmil leaping forward to defend their Lord’s honor. Just before he got out of arm's reach she grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and pulled him back._

_The guard’s laughter left an angry pit in her stomach that made her spit in his direction after he was gone. At Rúmil’s outraged expression she raised an eyebrow. “Do you have so little faith in me that you think I’m going to let those insults go unanswered?”_

_“What are you gonna do?” Rúmil asked._

_She turned towards him with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Didn’t you hear him? He called me poison, well I intend to give him a taste of that poison.”_

…

            Amora looked at their expressions as she paused her narrative. She could see Lady Galadriel glance disapprovingly at her. However it was Lord Celeborn who spoke. “Amoniel, Please tell me you didn’t try to pull some sort of childish prank against the Prince.” 

            She winced at the use of her true name. No one ever used it unless the situation was dire. “Of course not!” Knowing that stalling would only make things harder for her Amora sighed and said. “I bought a powerful laxative and put it in the stew the guard Hairondir was to have for lunch.”

            The reactions were about what she expected, except for the Chancellor. He didn’t looked outraged or even remotely surprised. He didn’t look like anything at all, keeping his gaze fixed on a spot somewhere precisely not where she stood, as if she had never spoken in the first place. 

            “Do you realize how foolishly you acted?” Lord Celeborn hissed. His tone rose as he began to scold her. “Common sense alone should have stayed your hand! You of all people know better than to retaliate from petty insults like that.” 

            She flinched, but didn’t say anything in her defense. Amora had a feeling that if she breathed one word, Lord Celeborn would probably suspend her on the spot. The captain looked up when Lady Galadriel broke the silence. “Although extremely juvenile, you have spoken not once of the Prince and your plans for him.”

“What plans would I have to speak of? Is this what you accuse me of?” Amora questioned.

            “If it’s to be believed.” Lord Celeborn mumbled. Standing up he turned his attention away from his wife towards the diplomat across from them. “We will review this with the Prince. From what I understand only he has the authority to drop the charges against Captain Amora.”

“My Lord Celeborn, of what am I being accused?” Amora now begged.

            Chancellor Handor didn’t look at Amora instead he nodded respectfully towards the Lord and Lady of the territory. “Green Wood insists that until this matter is cleared the Captain remain imprisoned.”

            Lord Celeborn was about to agree for the sake of diplomacy, when Lady Galadriel stopped him. Standing up from her seat she said “I would like to speak with the Prince first, perhaps we can come to some sort of peaceful resolution.”

            “My lady it is unnecessary for you to trouble yourself over this.” Chancellor Handor said defensively.

            Lady Galadriel stared him down in that way that practically screamed she was going to get what she wanted or there would be hell to pay. Amora bit down on her lip and turned her face into the shadows to hide her amusement. When she was calm enough to look indifferent the young captain turned back to the impasse.

            Chancellor Handor bowed respectfully breaking the standoff. “If you insist my lady.”  

…

            Thranduil figured he’d better write and clarify some of the exaggerated points of the story, after skimming over the report Chancellor Handor planned on sending to the King. With a long sigh he pulled out the necessary materials and shook his head muttering to himself. “All I had come to do was keep the alliance and broker trade agreements.”

            Thranduil scratched out the first couple of words unsure how to word things so that he wouldn’t sound like a naïve fool. With a frustrated huff he balled up the piece of parchment and pulled out another. However anger at the captain caused him to clutch his quill.

A fool that’s what he had been. So many had warned him, even his own father, to stay away from her and her kin. That girl could do nothing but breed the troubles her ancestors were infamous for, as he had been told over and over again. Thranduil now believed them that Amora could do nothing except irritate him and he chided himself for allowing himself to trust her.

 If she wasn’t trying to kill him then she was even more foolish for getting herself into this situation. If she had tried to assassinate him, than she was more incompetent than he had originally believed. Either way he never wanted to look at her again.

A knock interrupted his thoughts. Quickly he put away the writing materials before glancing up from the desk.

“Enter!”

            He raised an eyebrow when his host walked through the door. Expecting his Chancellor, Thranduil scrambled to rise from his chair. Lady Galadriel stopped him simply by raising a hand. “Don’t get up, this won’t take long.”

Sitting down in the arm chair across from the writing table and folding her hands on her lap she started “I figured you would want to hear what was said at the hearing from a reliable source.”

            “What happened to the Captain?” He muttered indifferently.

            Lady Galadriel frowned at his lack of responsiveness. “She is being detained. Her fate is at your discretion.”

            “I see.” Thranduil muttered absently. “By all means continue then.”

            As the Lady of Light began recounting what happened in Lord Celeborn’s office, Thranduil listened intently, but also observed what she wasn’t saying. He was wary of the fact that she had taken the trouble to come all the way down here to do something his Chancellor could have easily done.

It was common knowledge that Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn protected Amora since she was a child. The Prince began to wonder if this was just another in a long line of attempts to shield the youngling.

When she finished Thranduil inclined his head before speaking. “Does she have witnesses that will swear to the authenticity of the story?”

“ _Amora_ ,” She said pointedly, “did not say, however I believe she does.” 

The Prince pretended to ignore the sharpness in her tone over the fact that he refused to say her name. Instead he focused on the task at hand. “While it may be plausible, my hands are tied until a full investigation is carried out. If there is truth in her words the Captain’s imprisonment will end.”

       

               

           

                      

           


End file.
